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Saturday, March 31, 2012

SAINT JOHN – It’s probably safe to say the Baie-Comeau
Drakkar currently have one of the stranger coaching setups in the Quebec Major
Junior Hockey League.

On March 13 – less than two weeks before the playoffs
started – the Drakkar fired head coach Mario Pouliot. So, general manager Steve
Ahern decided to take over the coaching duties for what was left of the regular
season and playoffs.

Ahern and the Drakkar got some help though, adding Denis
Francoeur behind the bench, a former head coach in Bathurst and Shawinigan.
Baie-Comeau got immediate results in the playoffs, winning the first two games
in Victoriaville. The success would continue.

Francoeur then told general manager Steve Ahern he
couldn’t be behind the bench for Games 3 and 4 because of other work
commitments with his hockey schools in the Shawinigan area, 700 kilometres from
Baie-Comeau. (Francoeur was working as Ahern’s assistant GM prior to Pouliot’s
firing and only agreed to take on the coaching duties on an emergency
day-to-day basis.)

But Ahern wouldn’t quit. He begged Francoeur to
reconsider and finally persuaded him to fly to Baie-Comeau at the last minute
to coach Games 3 and 4. The Drakkar rushed Francoeur to Baie-Comeau in a
private plane at the end of his work day on Tuesday, getting him to the rink
just in time for the warm-up.

And clearly the extreme measures paid off because
Francoeur and the Drakkar came through with two more big wins, eliminating a
Tigres team that finished 31 points higher than them in the regular season.

According to Le Nouvelliste on Friday, Francoeur hopes to
be in Saint John next weekend for the first two games of their series against
the Sea Dogs because of the Easter holiday. After those two games though, it’s
unclear if he’ll be able run the Drakkar bench due to commitments at his hockey
school.

Games three, four, and five (if needed) of the series
will all be played in Baie-Comeau. This is the first time since 2006-07 that
the Drakkar have made it past the first round so the Henry Leonard Centre
should be rocking.

Friday, March 30, 2012

SAINT JOHN – The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has
announced the schedule for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar/Saint John Sea Dogs second
round playoff series.

The seven-game schedule is of the 2-3-2 variety. The Sea
Dogs have home ice for this round and all other rounds, meaning they host the
first two and, if necessary, the last games. Baie-Comeau will
host the middle three.

Saint John steamrolled the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
in a four-game sweep. Baie-Comeau, who finished 13th overall in the
league, was the surprise of the first round as they swept the No. 4 seeded
Victoriaville Tigres.

The Drakkar shut down the Tigres who were the top scoring
team in the regular season. The Sea Dogs finished second in goals which
sets this up as an interesting second round series.

Only one first round series is not completed yet. The
Acadie-Bathurst Titan are down 3-1 in their series against the Chicoutimi
Sagueneens entering Game 5 tonight.

Here’s a rule for hockey teams: if you’re resorting to
gimmicks, you’re done.

The Sea Dogs will take on the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in
Round 2 of the QMJHL playoffs, after the Drakkar completed a surprising sweep
of the Victoriaville Tigres.

When did people realize this series was over? I would
suggest before the opening faceoff of Game 3 when the Tigres decided to come
out and stretch in the Mighty Ducks flying V formation in the warm up.

Baie-Comeau players responded by simply staring them down
at centre ice. I’m not sure what the V was supposed to do, but I’m sure it did
not have the desired effect – the Drakkar won 8-2 and took a stranglehold 3-0
lead in the series, winning the series the following night in overtime.

If you’re resorting to warm up gimmicks to get pumped for
a game, then you’ve already lost. Being down 2-0 should have been enough
motivation, no one should have even been thinking about how to uniformly
stretch.

If you’re thinking about that type of thing and not what
you have to do to win, then the game is over before it starts.

The Titan did this a few years ago, stretching in the
shape of a T before some playoff games with the Sea Dogs – they lost the series
in six games.

To recap, in the playoffs winning should be top of mind,
formation stretching should not even occur to you.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

The Baie-Comeau Drakkar are already off to a rough start
in their second round series against the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced today
that Drakkar forward Raphael Bussieres has been suspended an additional two
games for a hit that took place on March 27 in Game 3 of their series against
the Victoriaville Tigres. Bussieres was suspended "until further notice" soon after and
missed Game 4, a game that clinched Baie-Comeau a stunning series sweep of the
Tigres.

The opponent:
Coming out of his zone and skating toward centre ice.
Passed the puck to a teammate next to the boards.
Was injured on the play.

The player at fault:
Pivoted, took a stride toward his opponent and hit him on
the head while he was in a vulnerable position.
Simultaneously hit the player’s body and head.
Propelled himself upward on the impact.

Bussieres finished fourth in Drakkar scoring in the regular
season, recording 21 goals and 23 assists in 56 games. The Drakkar will miss
him when the series begins next Friday night at Harbour Station.

A collection of recaps from last night’s 5-1 Saint John
Sea Dogs victory over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles…

Our recap. Five different Sea Dogs scored as Saint John
defeated Cape Breton 5-1, sweeping the first round Quebec Major Junior Hockey
League playoff series 4-0. It is the second year in a row that Saint John swept
away Cape Breton in round one.

The Cape Breton Post’s recap. But back-to-back tallies
from Tomas Jurco and Stanislav Galiev 11 seconds apart early in the third broke
the game open for the defending Memorial Cup champs.

CapeBretonEagles.com’s recap. Tomas Jurco led the way for
Saint John as he had a goal and two assists in the game while Aidan Kelly,
Charlie Coyle and Stanislav Galiev each chipped in with a goal for the Sea
Dogs.

SWEEP: For the second year in a row, the Sea Dogs ended
the Screaming Eagles’ season with a four-game sweep in the first round. Saint
John outscored the Eagles 34-8 in this year’s series and 26-2 in last year’s.

It’s the third time in four years that a Saint John/Cape
Breton first round series ended in a sweep.

After completing a stunning sweep of the Victoriaville
Tigres on Wednesday night, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar will now have the pleasure
of facing the Saint John Sea Dogs in the second round of the Quebec Major
Junior Hockey League playoffs.

The Drakkar, seeded 13th out of the 16, swept
the Tigres, who were seeded 4th and heavily favoured, in four
straight games which includes Wednesday’s 5-4 overtime victory at the Henry Leonard
Centre to clinch the series.

Baie-Comeau finished 13th overall in the
league with 63 points. The Tigres finished 4th overall 94 points.
This is a huge upset. The fact that the Drakkar swept the best-of-seven series makes
it an even more epic upset.

Many had the Drakkar listed as a contending team before
the season started but they never lived up to expectations. They fired their
head coach just a couple of weeks ago and that, apparently, has sparked them.
General manager Steve Ahern is the temporary bench boss.

The Tigres had the third best record in the league this
season, third most wins, and led the league in goal scoring with 311.

Saint John had a 3-0 record against Baie-Comeau in the
regular season.

The two teams have never faced each other in the
playoffs.

Game 1 of the second round series takes place next
Friday, April 6 at 7:30pm at Harbour Station and Game 2 takes place the
following day at 7pm. Tickets to both games go on sale this morning at 10am.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

SYDNEY, NS – The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles made it
interesting but were just not able to contain the Saint John Sea Dogs on
Wednesday night at Centre 200.

Five different Sea Dogs scored as Saint John defeated
Cape Breton 5-1, sweeping the first round Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
playoff series 4-0. It is the second year in a row that Saint John swept away
Cape Breton in round one.

Aidan Kelly, Charlie Coyle, Tomas Jurco, Stanislav
Galiev, and Danick Gauthier all scored for the Sea Dogs. Jurco, Galiev, and
Zack Phillips each had two assists. Mathieu Corbeil put in a real solid
performance in goal, making 33 saves in the win.

Corbeil had to be good as the Screaming Eagles hung
around until the third period. Cape Breton opened the scoring and the game was tied 1-1 after
one. The Eagles then outshot
Saint John 13-12 in the middle frame but trailed 2-1. Despite their best efforts, the home side just couldn’t
contain the Dogs in the third period as Jurco and Galiev scored 11 seconds
apart to clinch it.

The Eagles, who seemed to improve as the series went on,
had their lone goal come from Dany Potvin. Philippe Trudeau allowed five goals
on 31 shots in the season ending loss.

Saint John dominated much of this series – but, as seen
tonight, not all of it. The Dogs outscored Cape Breton 34-8 in the four games. Charlie Coyle had
nine of Saint John’s goals.

Saint John will play the lowest seeded team that moves on to the second round. It’s looking like that team will be Baie-Comeau but we
shall see.

Game 1 of the second round in next Friday, April 6 at
Harbour Station with Game 2 scheduled for the following evening. Tickets to
both games go on sale tomorrow morning at 10am.

SYDNEY, NS – Game 4 of the Saint John/Cape Breton first round playoff series goes down tonight at Centre 200. The Sea Dogs lead the series 3-0 and have scored an unlimited amount goals. Follow along for updates.
&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=a79a2b3ad7" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;SN Live Blog: Sea Dogs vs Screaming Eagles&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

The Screaming Eagles find themselves down 3-0 in their first
round series against the Saint John Sea Dogs entering tonight’s Game 4. This
evening’s match begins at 7pm at Centre 200.

If the Sea Dogs win this evening, they will move on to the
quart-finals. It would be the second straight season that Saint John swept Cape
Breton in the first round.

Saint John defeated the Eagles 8-2 last night in Sydney. Charlie Coyle and Danick Gauthier each scored twice while solo markers
came from Tomas Jurco, Jonathan Huberdeau, Kevin Gagne, and Ryan Tesink.
William Carrier and Kyle Farrell each had goals for Cape Breton.

The Dogs basically won the game in the first five
minutes last night, scoring four times and led 4-0 after one. Philippe Trudeau was pulled
after allowing three goals on six shots.

There wasn’t a whole lot of nastines last night as
the teams combined for just three penalties –all minor infractions. Saint John
had just one power play in the game which they scored on.

With his two goals last night, Charlie Coyle still leads
the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with 12 points – eight goals and four
assists – in three post-season games. Zack Phillips, who had two assists yesterday, is
third in league playoff scoring with 10 points.

William Carrier has been one of the few bright spots for
Cape Breton this series. The Dogs have outscored the Eagles 29-7 but Carrier
has managed to register three goals and three assists.

Only one team – the Moncton Wildcats – have been
eliminated from the playoffs so far. The Halifax Mooseheads finished off a
sweep of the ‘Cats last night.

If the Eagles manage to win tonight, Game 5 would be on
Friday night at Harbour Station.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

SYDNEY, NS – The Saint John Sea Dogs are a win away from
eliminating the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

The Sea Dogs took a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven first
round series this evening, defeating the Screaming Eagles 8-2 in front of a
sparse crowd at Centre 200 in Sydney.

It was another fairly dominant game by the Sea Dogs who
have now outscored Cape Breton 29-7 in three games. The Eagles did produce a
solid amount of shots, throwing 29 pucks at Sea Dogs goaltender Mathieu
Corbeil.

Charlie Coyle had another big night, registering two
goals to give him eight in three playoff games. Danick Gauthier also had two
goals while singles came from Jonathan Huberdeau, Tomas Jurco, Ryan Tesink, and
Kevin Gagne. Jurco added three assists. Corbeil made 27 saves for the win.

Saint John couldn’t have started the game much better,
scoring five goals in the first 5:01 of the game.

William Carrier and Kyle Farrell had goals from Cape
Breton. Philippe Trudeau was pulled after allowing three goals on six shots.
William Carrier allowed five on 32 shots in relief.

Game 4 of the series is tomorrow night at Centre 200. The
Eagles will need a miracle if they want to win this series.

SYDNEY, NS – Ah yes, the SN Live Blog is back for the long
haul beginning tonight. Join us we bring you live coverage of tonight’s Sea Dog/Eagles Game 3.
&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=2f89120a92" &amp;amp;gt;SN Live Blog: Sea Dogs vs Screaming Eagles&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Charlie Coyle has been named
the Canadian Hockey League’s Player of the Week for the first week of the 2012
CHL Playoffs ending March 25.

“Coyle made his CHL playoff debut with two five-point
games last week to lead the top ranked Sea Dogs to a 2-0 first round series
lead over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles,” states a CHL release. “In both
games Coyle recorded a hat-trick and added two assists as first star of the
contest including a 13-4 win on Friday and an 8-1 win on Saturday, both times
tying a franchise record for most points in a single playoff game.”

Coyle was awarded six points on Friday originally but had
an assist stripped of him by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League yesterday
upon further review.

His 10 points place him first in QMJHL playoff scoring.
He is averaging five points per game and 1.67 points per period. Not bad, not
bad at all.

SYDNEY, NS – A win tonight for the Saint John Sea Dogs
and this series is basically over.

The Saint John Sea Dogs can take a 3-0 series lead
tonight in Sydney when they face the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles at 7pm. Game
4 is tomorrow at Centre 200.

Saint John won Games 1 and 2 at Harbour Station rather
easily. On Friday, a second period outburst gave them a 13-4 victory. Then on
Saturday, the Dogs won easily again, defeating the Eagles 8-1.

Charlie Coyle leads the way for the Sea Dogs, registering
six goals and four assists in the first two games. He was credited with another
assist in Game 1 but that was removed by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
yesterday upon further review. He recorded at hat trick and two assists in both
games.

Zack Phillips is also off to a hot start with eight
points. Stanislav Galiev has seven.

William Carrier has been Cape Breton’s best performer,
scoring two goals and adding two assists in the first two games.

Friday’s game featured a few fights and Saturday’s game
also had a bit of bad blood. These two teams have now played four straight
games against each other going back to the regular season. Will things get
nastier as the series heads to Cape Breton? We'll find out tonight.

Monday, March 26, 2012

We’ve all been witness to countless great moments and
plays that will be burned into our mind for years to come.

I witnessed one of those moments on Friday night sitting
on my couch. I was watching Sportsnet’s coverage of Game 1 between the Saint
John Sea Dogs and Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

It was the second period when Dogs forward Charlie Coyle
put his stamp on the game. With a goal already in the period, Coyle knocked
down the same Cape Breton defenceman twice before heading to the front of the
net, scoring his second goal – all in a span of about 10 seconds.

The play made me laugh out loud, not in a mocking way
towards the Screaming Eagles, but in a “how foolish was that sequence,” kind of
way.

In those few seconds, Coyle was the personification of a power
forward. If you looked up the term in the hockey dictionary – provided it was
online and had imbedded video – that play would run as an example.

Sea Dogs play-by-play man Tim Roszell said Coyle`s marker
might be one of the best goals he`s seen live and he`s seen quite a few of
them.

At this stage in his career, Coyle is playing the
position to a tee. He’s big, strong and knows it. When you watch him play,
there’s no wasted movement. He goes north-south very well and takes his game to
the front of the net.

He uses his body effectively to either shield the puck
from opponents or to keep defenders at bay when he’s parked in front of the
cage. Let’s not forget he doesn’t mind throwing his weight around. On the
double-hit goal, the first of the two checks looked like Coyle merely bumped
the defender, but it sent the Screaming Eagle player to the ground none the
less.

Who knows how he will emerge as a pro player, but one
thing in Coyle’s favour is he seems to get it – it being the type of player he
is. Too often guys get caught, especially at the junior level, trying to show
off their skill by attempting to make the jaw-dropping play rather than the
right one.

Coyle doesn’t seem to be afflicted with this problem, at
least not on my viewings, rather he knows the strengths of his game and plays
to them.

If you want more proof, look at the first two games of
his Quebec League playoff career. Back-to-back hat tricks as well as five
assists for 11 points in two games.

Those are video game numbers and that’s no laughing
matter for Sea Dogs opponents.

FREDERICTON – Former Sea Dog Alexandre Picard-Hooper
setup Evan Vossen at the six-minute mark of overtime to give the McGill Redmen
their first CIS National Championship in school history last night in
Fredericton.

Vossen’s goal gave the Redmen a 4-3 victory over the
Western Mustangs to end a solid four days of Canadian Interuniveristy Sport hockey at the Aitken Centre.

The Mustangs opened the scoring in the first period but the
Remen would tie it up to make it a 1-1 affair after one. McGill then took a 3-2 lead in
the second, setting up an entertaining third period.

At 12:46 of the third, former Chicoutimi Sagueneen
Francis Verreault-Paul absolutely steamrolled Western goaltender Josh Unice.
Verreault-Paul was given a five-minute major and 10-minute game misconduct,
giving the Mustangs a huge opportunity. Western would indeed tie it at 14:18 to send the
match into OT.

With four minutes left in overtime, Vossen scored the
University Cup clinching goal to give one of the oldest teams on the planet
their first CIS title.

Picard-Hooper was named to the tournament all-star team.
He led the tourney in scoring with one goal and five assists.

McGill also features the legendary Hugo Laporte. There
was a scary moment in the game when Laporte took a puck square in the face but
he would stay in the game. He was seen sporting a big bandage when the match
ended.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

FREDERICTON – It’s been quite a few days at the
University Cup here in Fredericton. On Thursday, it was unbelievably hot and
the hometown UNB Varsity Reds were the favourites to win. Now on the final day,
the Reds have already been eliminated and it’s snowing a bit.

At tonight's championship game, the Western Mustangs will take on the McGill Redmen at 8pm at the Aitken Centre. The game can be seen on Sportsnet.

McGill advanced to the final despite losing 4-3 to
Saskatchewan yesterday. Former Sea Dog Alexandre Picard-Hooper had two assists in that
game.

Western advanced to the final after defeating UNB 3-2 last night. The Mustangs jumped out to a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes,
stunning a packed AUC. UNB came up one-goal shy thanks to a two-goal outburst
in the third. The atmosphere was so unreal that fans literally smashed a piece
of glass behind the Western bench after UNB’s first goal. Former Sea Dog Travis Fullerton made 21 saves in the
loss.

The McGill Redmen are one the oldest hockey teams on the
planet, playing their first organized game in 1877. According the University
Cup program, McGill has won 32 hockey championships since that time but have
never won a CIS title.

After scoring three goals and adding six assists in the
Saint John Sea Dogs’ 13-4 victory over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on
Friday night, Coyle led the Dogs to an 8-1 win in Game 2 on Saturday by registering
another hat trick to go along with two assists.

The Minnesota Wild prospect now has six goals and five
assists in two playoff games, leading Saint John to a 2-0 series lead in their
best-of-seven first round series against Cape Breton.

Not surprisingly, the Sea Dogs dominated this game and
outshot the Eagles 47-16. Saint John’s biggest offensive outburst came in the
second period once again where they scored four times. They would also added three makers in
the first and one in the third.

Stephen MacAulay scored twice while singles came
from Zack Phillips, Nathan Beaulieu, and Stanislav Galiev. Mathieu Corbeil made
15 saves for the win.

The line of Coyle, Phillips, and Galiev had a huge game,
combining for five goals and nine assists. Phillips had three helpers while
Galiev had four.

Cape Breton’s lone goal came from William Carrier late in
the third period. Philippe Trudeau allowed eight goals on 47 shots.

Not much else to say. The Sea Dogs have outscored Cape
Breton 21-5 in the first two games. Yikes.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

FREDERICTON – This weekend at the gym across the road
from the Aitken Centre, the Hockey Hall of Fame has had an exhibit setup with some
local and university hockey historical stuff on display. There is also some
random NHL stuff along with the Calder (pictured) and Masterton Trophies.

Lo and behold, some of the items on display are Sea Dogs related artefacts.

SAINT JOHN – The Saint John Sea Dogs will look to take a
2-0 series lead tonight against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Game time is
7pm at Harbour Station.

The Sea Dogs took Game 1 of the series last night,
hammering the Screaming Eagles 13-4 to take a 1-0 series lead. The game was
actually tied 2-2 entering the second period which is when the Sea Dogs
exploded.

Despite outshooting Cape Breton 12-2 in the opening
frame, it wasn’t the greatest period of the season for Saint John. The Eagles
were certainly opportunistic with their chances, scoring on both of their two
shots.

But, just like they have all year, Saint John exploded for
eight goals in the middle stanza and outshot Cape Breton 27-7 in the 20-minute
span. There were also three fights. Saint John would add three more goals in the third to
win 13-4.

Charlie Coyle had three goals and three assists to set a
Sea Dogs playoff record for points in a game. Danick Gauthier had a pair of
goals while singles came from Jason Seed, Zack Phillips, Tomas Jurco, Jonathan
Huberdeau, Aidan Kelly, Nathan Beaulieu, Charles Roussel and Stanislav Galiev.
Coyle, Phillips, and Jurco each had three assists.

Mathieu Corbeil had an average performance,
allowing four goals on 19 shots.

For Cape Breton, Bronson Beaten scored twice while Kyle
Farrell and William Carrier added the others. Philippe Trudeau allowed 10 goals
on 37 shots while William Racicot allowed three on 13.

The final score wasn’t all that shocking as the Saint
John Sea Dogs destroyed the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles by score of 13-4. But,
although surprising considering the final score, the Eagles actually led in
this game at one point and entered the second period tied 2-2.

Unfortunately for Cape Breton, the Sea Dogs exploded in
the second period. Saint John scored eight times in the frame, tying a 25-year old Quebec Major Junior Hockey League record for most goals in one period of a
playoff game.

Saint John added three more in the third to give the Dogs a
13-4 win and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven first round series. Game 2 goes
tonight at 7pm at the Station.

Charlie Coyle put on show for the national audience that
was watching on Sportsnet by scoring three goals and adding three assists. Danick
Gauthier had two goals while singles came from Zack Phillips, Jonathan
Huberdeau, Tomas Jurco, Aidan Kelly, Nathan Beaulieu, Charles Roussel,
Stanislav Galiev, and Jason Seed. Yes, Jason Seed scored last night.

Mathieu Corbeil’s goaltending won’t be remembered as the
greatest performance of all-time. The Eagles had just two shots in the first
period and connected on both. They added two more in the second period on just seven shots. In
total, the Eagles would score four goals on 19 shots. Hopefully Corbeil’s
performance is not a sign of things to come this post-season.

Bronson Beaton scored twice for the Eagles while singles
came courtesy of Kyle Farrell and William Carrier. Sam Cosentino was just loving
the performances of Bronson and Carrier.

Friday, March 23, 2012

FREDERICTON – SN will not be offering in-game tweets or a
live blog for this evening’s playoff game at Harbour Station between the Saint
John Sea Dogs and the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Game Two of the first round
playoff series - which will be played tomorrow at 7:00 pm - will be without a
live blog as well.

Tonight’s match can be seen live coast-to-coast on
Sportsnet Ontario, Pacific, and Sens. News 88.9’s coverage begins at 7:45pm.
The Sea Dogs’ Twitter should provide occasional updates.

The last time the Sea Dogs played a Quebec Major Junior
Hockey League playoff game, Alexandre Beauregard was scoring the overtime
winner to give Saint John their first ever President’s Cup title. Tonight, the
road to a repeat begins with Dogs hosting the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles at
Harbour Station in the opening game of a first round series. Game time is 8pm and can be seen nationally on Sportsnet.

The Sea Dogs, ranked No. 1 in the final edition of the
BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, finished the season in first place with a
record of 50-15-0-3 for 103 points. The Screaming Eagles finished in 16th
with a 23-42-1-2 record for 49 points.

No matter what stat you look at, this is a huge mismatch.
The Sea Dogs destroyed the Eagles in a four-game sweep in last year’s opening
round, outscoring them 26-2. There is a legitimate chance that kind of lopsided
series could happen again.

Cape Breton is taking a realistic approach to this
series.

"Listen, they’re the three-time league champs and
defending Mem Cup champs so we’re very respectful of what they’ve
accomplished," Eagles head coach Ron Choules told the Chronicle Herald.
"We know what we’re getting into. . . . But like I said to the kids, let’s
accept this challenge. Playing against the best only makes you better. Let’s
make sure we follow our plan, stay on the same page and make sure they earn
everything they get."

This is the third time in four years that the two have met in the first round. Cape Breton swept Saint John back in 2009 and the Saint John swept the Eagles last year.

FREDERICTON – Besides almost getting killed by a t-shirt,
being stuck in traffic for 40 minutes, and seeing Hugo Laporte get an assist,
the opening day of the 2012 University Cup in Fredericton was quite awesome.

You see this sign here? This sign was made by the Moncton
Wildcats hockey club, asking the opposing team, the Halifax Mooseheads, to “bring
it” when the two teams square off in a playoff series beginning tonight.

Will the Mooseheads bring it tonight? We’ll soon find out. They certainly did bring their excellent Photoshop skills, posting
this on their Facebook.

The Halifax/Moncton series is one of the few in the first
round that has some intrigue. There usually isn’t a whole lot of drama in the
opening round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs. But that’s
just the way it goes in this section of the CHL.

FREDERICTON – Good morning from a sunny and warm Freddy
Beach. It’s felt like Orlando here for the past few days.

Hopefully the Aitken University Centre will be nice and
cool as the 2012 University Cup kicks off this afternoon. The first game
begins at 2pm with Alexandre Picard-Hooper and the McGill Redmen taking on
Keven Charland, Charles Bergeron and the Universite de Moncton Aigles Bleus.

Later today at 7pm, Travis Fullerton and the University
of New Brunswick Varsity Reds face the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Patriotes. Although he isn’t listed on the team’s website, the CHL says former
Sea Dog Olivier Ouellet plays for UQTR. We’ll see.

“I think it was a great learning experience in a lot of
ways,” Fullerton said of his time in the Q, where he played with Saint John and
the Lewiston Maineiacs. “It’s an excellent league, one of the best in Canada.
When you play against the best players you’re naturally going to develop and
rise to the occasion.”

We’ll have coverage of the tournament all week. Check out
UNB Hockey Fans for more.

Also of note, last night at The Playhouse,
former Sea Dog Michael Kirkpatrick was named to the CIS All-Rookie team.
Kirkpatrick was named the AUS Rookie of the Year a couple of weeks ago.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

The Saint John Sea Dogs will end the regular season where
they started it – ranked No. 1 in the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings. The
final rankings were released earlier today.

The Sea Dogs were ranked No. 1 in the CHL’s pre-season
rankings way back on September 7. Saint John was the only team in the country
to be ranked in every edition of the Top 10. They slipped all the way down to
No. 6 at times due to injuries, NHL camps, and the World Juniors but always climbed back up.

Saint John was ranked No. 1 in the final four Top 10s this season.

The Dogs are coming off a 3-0 week. They defeated the
Halifax Mooseheads 6-1 last Wednesday, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 4-0 on
Friday, and the Eagles again by score of 7-4 on Saturday. The three wins
clinched Saint John a third straight regular season title, 100-point season, and
50-win season.

Other Quebec Major Junior Hockey League teams to crack
this week’s rankings were the Shawinigan Cataractes at No. 5 and the
Victoriaville Tigres at No. 10. The Quebec Remparts were an honourable mention.

The weekly rankings of the Canadian Hockey League’s Top
10 teams are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.

FREDERICTON – There are some numbers from the Saint John
Sea Dogs’ 2011-12 regular season that really jump out at you.

The team racked up 50 wins and 100 points for the third
straight season. They averaged a team record 4,561 fans per game at Harbour
Station. Mathieu Corbeil’s goal against average of 2.38 led the league. They
had a league high 28 home wins. They were 35-3-0-0 when scoring first. 31 of
Saint John’s 50 wins came against Maritime Division opponents. They outscored
opponents 125-57 in second periods. They averaged a league best 26.6 shots
against per game. But one number that really jumps out – the Sea Dogs’ fight
numbers.

Saint John dropped the gloves 68 times this year
according to HockeyFights.com, the fourth most fights in the league this
season. The fight total is almost double what it was a year ago. It’s the
second most the Sea Dogs have ever had in one season, even more than their
expansion season.

Simple math tells us that the Sea Dogs averaged one-fight
per game this year.

19 different Sea Dogs participated in scraps this season.
Not surprisingly, Ian Saab and Grant West both had a team high 15 fights.
Spencer MacDonald had five while Oliver Cooper, Nathan Beaulieu, and Stephen
MacAulay each had four. The full list can be found here.

It’s unlikely the fight per game average will carry over
into the post-season. Saint John had just seven fights in last season’s playoffs and
one the year before.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced the nominees for this year’s Golden Puck Awards today. Included among the nominees are five Saint John Sea Dogs.

Nathan Beaulieu was nominated for the Émile “Butch” Bouchard Trophy, awarded to the league’s top defenseman. Jérôme Gauthier-Leduc of Rimouski and Blainville-Boisbriand’s Xavier Ouellet are the other nominees. Beaulieu will hope to keep it in the club, as Simon Després won the award last season.

Meanwhile, Pierre Durepos has gotten a nod for the Kevin Lowe Trophy as best defensive defenseman, along with Shawinigan’s Morgan Ellis and Martin Lefebvre of the Quebec Remparts.

Stephen MacAulay is up for the Guy Carbonneau Trophy as best defensive forward alongside Max LeSieur of the Cataractes and the Remparts’ Frédérick Roy, and Jonathan Huberdeau is nominated for the Paul Dumont Trophy as Personality of the Year. Rookies Mikhail Grigorenko of the Remparts and Nathan MacKinnon of Halifax are the other nominees.

Gerard Gallant will be looking to three-peat as coach of the year. He’s nominated for the Ron Lapointe Trophy, as are Jean-François Houle of the Armada, and the ever-colorful Patrick Roy of the Remparts. Gallant won the award in 2010 and 2011. He’s also the two-time defending CHL Coach of the Year.

The Sea Dogs had three winners last year; Després, Gallant, and Mike Kelly as General Manager of the Year. Jacob DeSerres also collected the Jacques Plante Trophy for having the league’s lowest goals against average, a trophy that Mathieu Corbeil will receive this year.

The nominees for the Michel-Brière Trophy for league MVP are the QMJHL’s top two scorers, Yanni Gourde of Victoriaville and Zach O’Brien of Bathurst, as well as Grigorenko. The full list of nominees is available here.

According to Buzzing The Net statistician, Rob
Pettapiece, the Sea Dogs have a 98 percent probability of beating Cape Breton
in their first round matchup with the most likely outcome being a four-game
sweep.

A special promotion offering $10 upper-bowl tickets to
Game 1 has been extended through Tuesday. Tickets to both games are available
by calling the arena box office at (506) 657-1234 or by visiting www.tickets.harbourstation.ca.

Per a Sea Dogs release, “Friday night’s match will
feature a special pre-game ceremony in which QMJHL Commissioner Gilles Courteau
will present the Sea Dogs with the Jean Rougeau Trophy as regular season
champions for the third straight season, a feat that has never been
accomplished in league history.”

Monday, March 19, 2012

The Sea Dogs’ leading scorer took home three awards for
his team record setting 47-goal campaign. Gauthier won the Pepsi Top Scorer
Award, the Alpine Three Stars Award and was named the Tim Hortons Most Improved
Player.

The 20-year old Tampa Bay Lightning prospect recorded 86
points in 66 games this year. He had 11 goals and 30 points in 65 games last
year.

Oliver Cooper and Sebastien Auger were co-winners of the Grant
Thornton Rookie of the Year Award. Cooper, the Sea Dogs’ top pick in last year’s
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft, recorded 10 goals and 14 assists
in 60 games this season. Auger had a record of 14-2-0-2 to go with a goals
against average of 2.65 and save percentage of 0.897.

The Children’s Wish Foundation Fan Choice Award went to captain
Jonathan Huberdeau, the Scotiabank Community Service Award was awarded to forward
Grant West, the Irving Oil Team Player Award was won by forward Stephen MacAulay,
and the Saint John Airport Academic Player of the Year went to defenseman Kevin
Gagne.

Two awards – the Bell Aliant Most Valuable Player and the
Sun Life Global Investments Top Defenceman – were not presented at the banquet
as they will be named upon the conclusion of the Sea Dogs' playoff run.

The QMJHL has released the schedule for the first round of the playoffs.

The Saint John Sea Dogs will open their title defense at home on Friday, March 23rd, against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Puck drop is at 8pm. Game 2 goes the next evening at Harbour Station at 7pm.

The series shifts back to Sydney on Tuesday the 27th and Wednesday the 28th for games 3 and 4. Both games begin at 7pm. If necessary (it won’t be), Game 5 will be back in Saint John on Friday the 30th at 7:30pm. Game 6 is penciled in for Sunday, April 1st at 7pm in Centre 200. Game 7 would be played Tuesday the 3rd at Harbour Station at 7pm. The full series schedule:

The Sea Dogs will hold their annual team awards banquet
tonight at the Delta Brunswick Ballroom. The formal night will include
cocktails at 6 p.m., with the dinner and awards beginning at 6:30.

The awards given out tonight are the Saint John Airport
Academic Player of the Year, Tim Hortons Most Improved Player, Irving Oil Team
Player Award, Scotiabank Community Service Award, Alpine Three Stars Award,
Children’s Wish Foundation Fan Choice Award, and the Pepsi Top Scorer Award.

Three awards, the Bell Aliant Most Valuable Player, the
Grant Thornton Rookie of the Year and the Sun Life Global Investments Top
Defenceman, will be handed out after the conclusion of the Sea Dogs playoff
run.

Last week, Sea Dogs forward Zack Phillips was named the
winner of the Myer and Jack Budovitch Award as Fredericton's athlete of the
year for 2011.

It was quite a year for Phillips. He attended the CHL/NHL
Top Prospects, helped the Sea Dogs win the President’s Cup and Memorial Cup,
and was selected in the first round of the National Hockey League Entry Draft
by the Minnesota Wild.

The second season begins on Friday at 8pm at Harbour
Station as the Sea Dogs host the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in Game One of
their best-of-seven first-round series. Note that this is an 8pm start because
of the Sportsnet broadcast.

Game Two will played on Saturday at 7pm at the Station.
The full schedule has not been released yet, but Games Three and Four will
likely be played the following Tuesday and Wednesday in Sydney.

The year was 1984 and the Ottawa 67’s and the University
of Toronto Varsity Blues were hoisting the Memorial Cup and University Cup
aloft.

It was the last time two teams from the same province
would hold both titles in the same season until 27 years later.

Flash forward to 2011 and the Saint John Sea Dogs were
skating around the ice in Mississauga with the Memorial Cup held high while the
University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds were celebrating a University
Cupchampionship on home ice at the Aitken Centre.

A great moment for provincial hockey fans and one that
has the possibility to be repeated. On Thursday, UNB begins its defence of the
University Cup as the CIS championship begins in Fredericton. On Friday, the
Sea Dogs begin their quest for a second-straight President’s Cup title and a
berth in the Memorial Cup.

No matter the outcome of either championship run, the
Varsity Reds and Sea Dogs have already contributed to what is essentially a
golden age in New Brunswick hockey.

The last three seasons (I’m including the 2011-12 season
even though it has yet to finish) have seen unprecedented success by provincial
teams. Including the two national titles brought home last year, the Sea Dogs
and Wildcats have two President’s Cups. In addition, Saint John set a QMJHL
record as the only team to ever capture three-straight Jean Rougeau trophies
(regular-season titles), while UNB has finished atop to the AUS standings in
the regular season for five-straight years and has been the AUS playoff
champions the past two seasons.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

SAINT JOHN – For the second straight year, a Saint John
Sea Dogs goaltender will be taking home the Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy for
having the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s best goals against average.

A year after Jacob DeSerres’ took home the honours,
20-year Mathieu Corbeil has finished atop the league with a GAA of 2.38. The
next closest competitor was Shawinigan’s Gabriel Girard who finished with a
2.45 mark.

Corbeil finished near the top of every statistical
category. He finished fifth in save percentage (0.911), first in wins (37), and
first in shutouts (6). He played 2778:40 of hockey (8th) over 48
games and made 1124 saves (11th).

Before this season, Corbeil had never recorded a QMJHL
shutout.

Although a lot of people will say Corbeil’s numbers are
only because of the team in front of him, you have to give the netminder a lot
of credit. Corbeil stepped up his game this year and that was apparent at many
points in the season. There were moments when he seemed a bit shaky – particularly
around Christmas – but he always bounced back.

Now the real test begins as Corbeil will be looked upon
to backstop Saint John through the playoffs.

Speaking of the team that played in front of him
all season, they weren’t too shabby this year. The Sea Dogs finished with the second lowest
goals against average in the league this season at 2.62. They allowed the
fewest shots against per game on average with a rate of 26.60.

SAINT JOHN – After 578 regular season games, the 2011-12 Quebec
Major Junior Hockey League season has come to an end.

The PEI Rocket have the unfortunate role of being the only team to miss the playoffs this year with the league only
icing 17 squads. So, 16 teams will take part in the post-season once
again this year.

The format is simple – the No. 1 seed will play the No.
16 seed, the No. 2 seed will play the No. 15 seed, and so on in the first-round. Here are the
round one matchups.

Saint John Sea Dogs (1) vs Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
(16)

Shawinigan Cataractes (2) vs Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (15)

Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (3) vs Gatineau Olympiques
(14)

Victoriaville Tigres (4) vs Baie-Comeau Drakkar (13)

Quebec Remparts (5) vs Drummondville Voltigeurs (12)

Halifax Mooseheads (6) vs Moncton Wildcats (11)

Rimouski Oceanic (7) vs Val-d’Or Foreurs (10)

Chicoutimi Sagueneens (8) vs Acadie-Bathurst Titan (9)

Like every year, the teams the finished in the middle of
standings should provide the post intriguing matchups. Halifax/Moncton,
Rimouski/Val-d’Or, and Chicoutimi/Bathurst could all be close and hard fought
playoff series'.

None of the schedules for the first-round have been
released yet.

Looking ahead a bit to the second-round, there could be
some interesting matchups. If there are no upsets in the first-round, Saint
John would play Chicoutimi in a series that has plenty of storylines.
Quebec/Victoriaville would likely be quite a series and Halifax/Blainville-Boisbriand
could be a coin toss. We'll see what happens.

With Saint John finishing first overall, they will always
play the lowest seeded team. That means there is no possible way for the Dogs
to play Shawinigan unless it is in the league final. If that were to happen,
Saint John would automatically earn a trip to the Memorial Cup.